Jefferson City's Lawson Elementary School is in the process of buying roughly 85 new books for its first book drive after a local family started a fund in honor of their mother.
Eric Weddle and some of his kin presented an honorary check for $700 to school officials Tuesday in the school's reading room, which is stocked wall-to-wall with books used to help students achieve their grade reading level.
Weddle's mother, Nancy Gammon, was an education professor at Lincoln University; he called her a "big believer of books in the hands of children." She started her career as a first-grade teacher in Virginia.
Gammon was diagnosed with cancer. It was her dying wish to have books donated, but she didn't specify where. Her great-granddaughter was in the reading recovery program as a first-grader at Lawson, so Weddle thought it would be fitting to start the book drive there.
Reading specialist Sharon Fennewald taught Gammon's great-granddaughter and was overwhelmed with the donation.
"She got above her grade reading level, and it's amazing having support from her family," Fennewald said.
Fennewald works with dozens of students throughout the year to help them improve their reading through the school's two reading programs. They work on breaking down meaning, structure and visual cues of reading and building confidence, which she said is the most important part.
Teachers can check the books out for instructional purposes, and the students can take them home for practice, which is a little different than the books read for enjoyment at the school library, she said.
Principal Patricia Tavenner is working with Scholastic to order the books, which should be delivered before the next school year.
The initial donation of $700 has grown to nearly $1,000, and others can donate funds through the Nancy Gammon Memorial Book Fund established through the Jefferson City Public Schools Foundation.
The plan is to start an annual book drive at Lawson and expand the program to other elementary schools, said Karen Enloe, executive director of the foundation. Once Lawson's reading room reaches its maximum need, then books will be sent to other JCPS elementary schools and could eventually filter to the Girls and Boys Club.